I would have posted this earlier, except I had to verify a few things about it.
Here’s the skinny: The Tulsa City Council last week passed two third-penny sales-tax-extension questions for a May 9 election. One is for $459 million in capital improvements; the other is $4.3 million for improvements toTulsa International Airport. The news release is here. Here’s the 19-page ordinance that the council approved.
There is $16 million dedicated to development along the Arkansas River. According to a source I have with the city, $4.2 million of that will be for design and site work for “facilities near 11th for commercial restaurant, entertainment and educational opportunities. Possibility of private participation in construction and operation of expanded facility would be explored.”
This “facility” is the Route 66 Interpretive Center, also known as a Route 66 museum in some city documents. It would contain multimedia presentations, displays of Route 66 artifacts, a diner, and other attractions. Councilor Chris Medlock told me it would likely be a public-private venture to help defray the project’s costs.
“Apparently the decision-makers see this as a jewel in the crown for the river and Route 66,” my source at the city said.
Voters passed a sales tax a few years ago to fund Vision 2025 projects, including $15 million of improvements to Route 66 in Tulsa County. A museum hadn’t been planned initially. But when planned rehabilitation of the historic 11th Street Bridge was later learned to be too cost-prohibitive, and when an exhaustive survey of Tulsa Route 66 was conducted after Vision 2025 passed, it was determined a museum would give the most “bang for the buck” for Route 66 in Tulsa. However, the museum would haven gobbled up much of the Vision 2025 Route 66 money. So city leaders decided to supplement construction of the museum with proposed third-penny tax funds.
A Route 66 Master Plan for Tulsa County that included the museum was passed unanimously several weeks ago by the Vision 2025 Route 66 Design Committee after months of meetings.
As a Route 66 aficionado who believes that Tulsa lacks a big Mother Road attraction, I know how I’ll vote in May.